Trivia Database

Question 1: Which common battery size is designated as LR6 in many device manuals?

Correct Answer: AA

Incorrect Answers: C, D, 9-volt

Explanation: Under IEC standards, AA batteries are labeled LR6. C cells are LR14, D cells are LR20, and 9-volt batteries use a different code.

Difficulty: easy

Question 2: During the 19th century, which invention drastically improved the safety of miners by detecting dangerous gases in underground tunnels?

Correct Answer: Gas-detecting canary cage

Incorrect Answers: Electric headlamp, Steam ventilator, Portable oxygen mask

Explanation: Miners in the 1800s carried canaries in cages because these birds are highly sensitive to toxic gases like carbon monoxide. If a bird stopped singing or died, it warned miners to evacuate.

Difficulty: medium

Question 3: In which animated film does a character named Mike Wazowski appear?

Correct Answer: Monsters, Inc.

Incorrect Answers: Toy Story, Frozen, The Incredibles

Explanation: Mike Wazowski is a main character in Monsters, Inc., a film about monsters scaring children, whereas the others feature different characters like toys or superheroes.

Difficulty: easy

Question 4: What artifact from ancient Egyptian archaeology is believed to have been used for measuring the Nile's flood levels and features intricate hieroglyphs?

Correct Answer: Nilometer

Incorrect Answers: Rosetta Stone, Ankh Amulet, Cartouche Seal

Explanation: A nilometer was a structure used in ancient Egypt to measure the Nile River's water levels, aiding in predicting floods and agricultural planning, with examples dating back to the Middle Kingdom.

Difficulty: hard

Question 5: Which early cinema technique, used prominently in 1903’s The Great Train Robbery, enhanced narrative continuity between scenes?

Correct Answer: Cross-cutting

Incorrect Answers: Rotoscoping, Rear projection, Computer compositing

Explanation: Cross-cutting interleaves actions in different locations to build continuity and tension. The other techniques emerged later or serve different visual purposes.

Difficulty: medium

Question 6: Which unmanned Soviet spacecraft first returned lunar soil samples to Earth in 1970?

Correct Answer: Luna 16

Incorrect Answers: Sputnik 1, Vostok 1, Soyuz 1

Explanation: Luna 16 was the first robotic probe to successfully land on the Moon, collect samples, and return them to Earth, marking a milestone in space exploration. The distractors are other Soviet space missions that did not involve lunar sample returns.

Difficulty: hard

Question 7: Which chemical compound, discovered in the early 20th century, revolutionized agriculture by enabling synthetic fertilizer production?

Correct Answer: Ammonium nitrate

Incorrect Answers: Ammonium sulfate, Urea, Calcium carbide

Explanation: Ammonium nitrate, synthesized through the Haber-Bosch process in the early 1900s, became a cornerstone of synthetic fertilizers, boosting crop yields. This innovation addressed global food shortages but also raised environmental concerns.

Difficulty: hard

Question 8: Which river in South Asia is known for monsoon-driven floods that have historically sustained agriculture on a broad alluvial plain?

Correct Answer: Ganges

Incorrect Answers: Volga, Seine, Murray

Explanation: The Ganges experiences monsoon-driven flooding that deposits fertile alluvium, supporting dense agriculture in its basin. The Volga, Seine, and Murray are significant rivers but are not located in South Asia and do not pertain to this monsoon basin context.

Difficulty: medium

Question 9: Which 1990s disaster film follows a team of storm chasers tracking tornadoes across Oklahoma?

Correct Answer: Twister

Incorrect Answers: Deep Impact, The Perfect Storm, Dante's Peak

Explanation: Twister follows tornado researchers in Oklahoma. Deep Impact is about a comet, The Perfect Storm focuses on a fishing boat in a powerful nor'easter, and Dante's Peak is about a volcanic eruption.

Difficulty: easy

Question 10: During the Victorian era in Europe, what was a common method for regulating tension in early sewing machines?

Correct Answer: Adjusting a tension disc with a screw

Incorrect Answers: Using a dial calibrated in grams, Tapping a lever rhythmically, Changing a preset electronic switch

Explanation: Early sewing machines commonly used tension discs that could be manually adjusted with a screw. The other options involve technologies not present in early machines.

Difficulty: medium